House Beautiful articles from October 2007

House Beautiful archives from October 2007

The best!(Buyers guide)
October 1, 2007... All bite, no bark... Put this cast-iron dog to work--cracking nuts. Did you notice he can do two at a time? A charming surprise from Ralph Lauren, currently celebrating the 40th anniversary of his company. Fletcher Dog Nutcracker, about 11...

Color the best blue: from light and airy to deep and mysterious ... they're all beautiful. Top designers share their favorite shades of blue.
October 1, 2007... "This is an intense 18th-century blue-green with a great history. They used to make it by pouring acids on copper and using the verdigris as the pigment for the paint. A living room would be killer with this on the walls, dead-white trim, and...

Instant room Suzanne Rheinstein: the easygoing comfort of an English country house ... in your living room.(Interview)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 1. Ottoman "Cover Lee Jofa's Beatrice Ottoman in Covington for a visual exclamation point," says Rheinstein. "Plus, it's foolproof for shoes, children, and pets." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 2. Curtains &...

Our favorite store: SeaCloth, Greenwich, CT: you'll leave SeaCloth feeling like you've just walked on a beach or through a field of flowers. It's that fresh and glorious....(Connecticut)(Interview)(Buyers guide)
October 1, 2007... How would you define the SeaCloth style? DEIRDRE HALPER: Clean-lined traditional with a modern twist. We'll upholster a Louis XIV chair in one of our fabrics--all based on my business partner Susan Harris's watercolors--and then pair it...

Everywhere we look ... frequently asked questions: Chinese Chippendale chairs: they've been putting some fun in traditional interiors for 250 years. Now they're doing it in color.
October 1, 2007... Genuine Chinese lacquer was made from the sap of the lacquer tree. This finish looks lacquerish, but is simply high-gloss paint. The openwork geometric Z's and T's on the back are typical of furniture inspired by the Brighton Pavilion. ...

The makeover: Part 4: the Bathroom: nothing memorable about it, until T. Keller Donovan got in there with yards and yards of indoor-outdoor fabric.(Interview)
October 1, 2007... Get It Right * Pick one fabric, and run with it. LEFT: Clarence House's Outdoor Coral in Marine. Or paper the walls with Chinese newspapers, playing cards, pages from a book. * A stool is a little luxury. It can be an end table for the...

Maintenance leather: there's nothing like leather to give a room that subtle touch of richness ... as long as you treat it well.(Q&A)(Precision Leather Crafters)(Interview)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] JERRY CRISTANDO: What a lot of people don't realize is that leather is actually not that hard to live with. You can protect it pretty easily from everyday damage. And if a section does get really ruined, you can get...

I'm looking for a desk: there's a style that's just right for your office, a bedroom corner, under a kitchen window ... wherever you love to work.(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... 1. Emily, available in 40 colors. $1,290. Maine Cottage: 888-859-5522; mainecottage.com. 2. Trestle. $100. Target: target.com. 3. La Boheme, with leather top. $4,785. Ralph Lauren Home: 888-475-7674; ralphlaurenhome.com. 4....

Tablescape romantic supper: classic china, vintage crystal, contemporary silver ... for Robert Rufino of Tiffany & Co., an inviting table needs a few surprises.(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... A bright ethnic cloth can inspire your palette and energize a traditional tablesetting. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mix contemporary silver with a traditional china pattern to wake up the table. Buy roses early so they open. Full-blown...

What's beautiful now? Survey results: last June, we asked you what you thought. You surprised us again and again ...
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] What would be your dream lifestyle if you could have a second home? * a home on the best golf course in Scottsdale 2% * a rustic log lodge in the Rockies 14% * a Manhattan penthouse overlooking Central...

Ask the Barefoot Contessa: Butternut Squash Soup: add zing to this classic soup with Ina's favorite trick: curry.(q&a)
October 1, 2007... "My husband loves butternut squash soup, sol always make it as part of his birthday dinner. Do you have any suggestions for making it a little more exciting this year?" Birthdays are the time when everyone wants their favorite foods, but...

Cookbook: a great American cook: Less is more when Jonathan Waxman cooks. A pioneer of New American cuisine, he always stays true to his philosophy: make it fresh, keep it simple.
October 1, 2007... IN THE 1980s, AMERICA EXPRESSED ITSELF culturally in a lot of really awkward, cringe-inducing ways (I'm thinking about catsuits, my hair, and the music of Van Halen), with the very notable exception of the kitchen. Foodwise, those were the...

In must be Belgium: warm, soothing, earthy, spiritual--it's the biggest influence on decorating in years.(TRADITIONAL WITH A twist)(Interview)
October 1, 2007... LISA CREGAN: What an eye-opener. Apparently, there's much more to love about Belgium than chocolates. KAY DOUGLASS: For me, Belgium is all about seeing that the most beautiful things are not always the finest. It's okay if things look old...

Belgian style: step-by-step.(TRADITIONAL WITH A twist)
October 1, 2007... Belgian is the new Swedish (is the new Tuscan is the new French is the new English...). Look closely, it's everywhere. Start with neutral colors that defy description, add some soft upholstered silhouettes in linen, finish with a few bold...

The new mix: purple velvet, Chinese porcelain, the chair of the moment (and not a piece of mid century modern) ... this must be 2007.(TRADITION WITH A twist)(Interview)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CHRISTOPHER PETKANAS: You get high marks for giving this classic 18th-century Pennsylvania farmhouse a traditional yet thoroughly-up-to-date look. How did you do it? ROBERT GOODWIN: Since the house was added on...

Blue and white and now: a little less blue, a little more cream, and a whole new feeling.(TRADITIONAL WITH A twist)(Interview)
October 1, 2007... DONNA PAUL: You've designed houses in two hit movies by director Nancy Meyers, Something's Gotta Give and The Holiday. Are you a set designer or an interior designee who also does sets? JAMES RADIN: I'm an interior designer. I designed...

Where's the chintz? Herringbone, crewel, kilim, plaids, paisleys, scrolls--there's nothing formulaic about pattern now.(TRADITIONAL WITH A twist)(Nancy Boszhardt)(Interview)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The living room sofas are covered in the Nobilis fabric Celeste warmed by a Calvin Klein throw. The durable Kilim ottoman from Bermingham & Co. is a punchy little pull-up that's both footstool and seating. A handsome...

25 traditional rugs with a twist.(Buyers guide)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 1 BATIK BY THOMAS O'BRIEN, HAND-KNOTTED CUT PILE WOOL AND SILK, 8' x 10', $6,000. SAFAVIEH: 212-683-8369; SAFAVIEH.COM. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 2 MELODY IN APRICOT BY BARBARA BARRY, HAND-KNOTTED WOOLAND SILK,...

Turning up the volume: the furniture may be classic, but these colors could only be now.(TRADITIONAL WITH A twist)(Interview)
October 1, 2007... MIMI READ: This Los Angeles condo makes me think of a classic old movie that's been colorized--it has a great mix of stylish traditional and vintage elements, but everything has been keyed in these startling saturated colors. How did you come...

Kitchen of the month: Bridgehampton, NY: it's easy to live in designer Eldon Wong's kitchen because it blends so seamlessly with the family room.(Interview)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A stainless-steel SubZero 601R and a Bosch dishwasher are practically the only visible appliances in this kitchen, furnished with wicker chairs from Restoration Hardware a vintage settee, and a coffee table from Pier...

The best! For the kitchen: simple, practical, and very tempting--exotic salts ... a hi-tech faucet with old-fashioned charm ... good-looking stain-proof rugs.(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... 1. Indian black salt is the secret ingredient in chutney. Fumee de Sel is smoked in the oak barrels that age fine Chardonnay. Taste amazing salts from Bali, Hawaii, the Himalayas in the Artisanal Salt Sampler, 24 flavors, $165. RED ENVELOPE:...

Ask the dog shrink: before you romanticize life with that adorable-looking puppy, get to know him: His personality might not match his looks ... dogs are as individual as people.
October 1, 2007... "I want to adopt a dog from the shelter. What's the most important quality to look for?" Temperament, which isn't always an easy thing to see. So my first advice would be to ask an adoption counselor at the shelter to help you to assess...

The last words: what's the one traditional element that every house needs? Here's what experience has taught eight designers.
October 1, 2007... "Books transcend the traditional-contemporary divide. All houses should have them--books in piles, center tables of books, walls of books. I don't mean books by the yard--those unopened leatherbound volumes of Shakespeare bought solely for...